Woman strips naked to protest Cologne NYE attacks

A protester took to the streets of Cologne naked after a series of violent and sexual attacks against women on New Year's Eve.

"Respect us! We are not fair game even when naked" Credit: APTN

Swiss artist Milo Moire braved the cold to bare all in the German city's cathedral square, holding up a sign which read: "Respect us! We are not fair game even when naked".

She said her protest was a reaction to some advice from officials warning women to keep men at arm's length, saying: "It is a matter of course we have worked for in the past 50 years, that I can live as a woman the way I want to, in freedom."

Police were on patrol in the square but did not interfere with the performance - though they did usher away a number of young men in the area around the main station and cathedral.

Witnesses have described the hundreds of men who carried out the attacks as being of "Arab or North African origin," but little concrete evidence has been released to date on who was responsible for the assaults.